Bassoon



y 1964 V w. c. POLlSl 3,142,222

BASSOON Filed June 13, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.2

INVENTQRZ William C. Pollsl ATTORNEY July 28, 1964 w. c. POLISI3,142,222

BASSOON Filed June 13, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 so FIG.9

ATTORNEY.

BY Wwm 28, 1964 w. c. P OLISI 3,142,222

- BASSOON Filed June 13, 1961 I 3 sh t s t 3 INVENTOR. William C.P0lisiBY W;

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,142,222 BASSOGN William G. Polisi, 137-3S 45thAve., Flushing, NY. Filed June 13, 1961, Ser. No. 116,801 4 Claims. (Cl.84-380) This invention relates to wind instruments, and moreparticularly is concerned with improvements in the bassoon.

The modern bassoon has become fairly closely standardized in manyrespects and the differences between bassoons made by differentmanufacturers do not affect the general structure and mode of operationof the bassoon. The term bassoon, as employed hereinafter, will thus beunderstood to relate to the instrument now in common use in orchestrasall over the world.

The bassoon comprises five major elements which jointly constitute afolded pipe of an overall length of more than eight feet that tapersfrom the bell, from which emanates the sound produced, to the crook orbocal to which a double reed is attached. The reed is gripped by meansof the players lips. The major element adjacent the bocal is the wing ortenor joint, that adjacent the bell is the long joint. The butt joint isinterposed between the wing and long joints. Its tapering bore isV-shaped. The elements of the conventional bassoon are connected byfrictional engagement of conical male and female terminal portions. Theconnections are made airtight by resilient gaskets, usually made of corkbut not restricted thereto. The bocal is a metal tube, but wood is thepreferred material of con struction of the other major elements.

The instrument has a very wide range and a complete chromatic compassand has found wide acceptance in symphonic musical productions. The manytones of which the bassoon is capable are produced by covering oruncovering holes which are bored at suitably chosen points through thewalls of the several major bassoon elements or joints. To select a tone,the player controls some of the holes with his fingers, and others bymeans of keys which actuate movements of pads of cork toward and awayfrom corresponding holes, and which are spring biased toward the open orclosed condition. Operation of the reed by the player influences notonly the quality of the sound produced, but also the frequency of thesound generated.

The number of open holes and of holes controlled by keys is verysubstantially smaller than the number of different notes that can beplayed on the bassoon, and

many notes require complex fingering in which several holes aresimultaneously opened or closed. The demands on the manual dexterity ofthe player are so great that even highly skilled professionals cannotalways produce certain desired notes within the compass of theinstrument with certainty and with a pleasing tone quality. Interlockingconnections between several keys on the instrument somewhat reduce thedifficulties, but much reliance is placed on proper embouchure, theoperation of the reed. Because of the necessity of shifting fingersbetween keys for many notes, certain trills and fast passages cannot becleanly or neatly produced on the best bassoons now in use, even whenthe instruments are handled by virtuosi. With the above in view; it isto be noted that:

The general object of this invention is an improvement in the mechanicalfeatures of the bassoon which facilitate the playing of the instrument.

Another object is the provision of improved key mechanism which reducesthe demands for manual dexterity, and permits the convenient playing offast passages not heretofore properly playable on the instrument.

An additional object is the provision of mechanical devices which reducethe criticality of reed operation.

3,142,222 Patented July 28, 1964 Other objects and many of the attendantadvantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the samebecome better understood by reference to the following detaileddescription of a preferred embodiment when considered in connection withthe accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a bassoon forming a preferred embodiment of myinvention;

FIG. 2 shows the same instrument in a back view;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail of a portion of the bassoon of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a portion of the same wall of the bassoon in enlarged axialsection;

FIG. 5 illustrates an expanded portion of a detail part of FIG. 3 in alateral view;

FIG. 6 shows in enlarged detail a detail of a key arrangement of theinstrument of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 shows a portion of the wing joint of the bassoon of FIG. 1together with an adjacent portion of the bocal on a larger scale;

FIG. 8 shows a portion of the butt joint of the bassoon of FIGS. 1 and 2in a view corresponding to that of FIG. 2 but on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 9 is a fragmental enlarged view of the same embodiment taken in thedirection of the arrow 9 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 shows the instrument in another enlarged fragmentary view takenin the direction of the arrow 10 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 11 shows a portion of the long joint of the bassoon in a viewcorresponding to that of FIG. 2, but somewhat enlarged;

FIG. 11a shows a detail of FIG. 11 on a further enlarged scale; and

FIG. 12 is a lateral detail view of the device of FIG. 11 on the scaleof FIG. 11a and taken in the direction of the arrow 12.

Referring now to the drawing in detail wherein like numerals refer tolike parts throughout and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is seen abassoon of a basically known type, usually described as the German orHeckel system. The five basic elements are shown in the assembledcondition in which the instrument is played with the bell 20 extendingupwardly of the instrument. The lower end of the bell 20 is engaged in amating terminal opening of the long joint 30, the outer and innerdiameters of which taper toward the butt joint and has a flap 51 whichoverlaps the long joint 30. Terminal portions of the long joint 39 andthe wing joint 50, not visible in the drawing, are sealingly inserted intwo juxtaposed openings of the butt joint 40.

The free end of the wing joint carries the crook or bocal in'a mannerseen in more detail in FIGS. 7 and 9. A double reed 61 attached to thefree end of the bocal 60 is gripped between the players lips. The wallthickness of the upper end of the wing joint 50 is very much greaterthan that of the attached bocal 60, but the internal bores constitute acontinuously tapering conduit. The outermost portion 52 of the bore inthe wing joint is radially enlarged and substantially cylindrical inshape. It receives a cork gasket 62 mounted on the lower end of thebocal. The gasket 62 is cylindrical when in the relaxed condition andhas a larger outside diameter than the conduit portion 52. The bocal 60is thus axially slidable in the conduit portion 52 of the wing joint,and firmly held in the axially adjusted position by the resilientfrictional engagement of the gasket 62 with the internal cylindricalwall of the wing joint bore 52.

Axial movement of the bocal 60 varies the overall length of the internalconduit of the bassoon, and thus also the pitch of the instrument. Thebassoon of my invention is capable of being tuned over the entirerequired range of approximately /8 of an interval by axial adjustment ofthe position of the bocal. This permits a more convenient and finertuning adjustment than the conventional tuning method which involvesinterchange of bocals of difierent length for relatively coarseadjustment, and further pitch control by suitable gripping action on thereed.

The bocal 60 has a pin hole 63 which is drilled in a boss 63 as isconventional. The pin hole cooperates with a key, the so-called piano,crook, or whisper key, by means of which the pin hole 63 may be openedand closed. Since the position of hole 63' shifts axially during tuning,I make the whisper key of correspondingly adjustable length.

The key includes longitudinally extending linkages 65 rotatably mountedin posts 66 which radially project from the surface of the instrument.The uppermost portion of the linkages 65 carries two laterallyprojecting and axially spaced lugs 67 and 67 having axially alignedopenings in which an extension rod 68 is movable. The upper end of theextension rod carries a stopper 69 consisting of a rigid metal cover anda resilient cork pad. The resilient pad on the underside of the cover ismoved into sealing engagement with the boss 63 by suitable rotation ofthe linkage 65. A set screw 610 is threadedly mounted on the lug 67 andprojects into an axial groove 611 in the extension rod 68. Whenreleased, the set screw 610 permits the extension rod 68 to be movedaxially for proper registry between the stopper 69 and the boss 63 whilepreventing rotary movement of the rod about its axis.

The whisper key of conventional bassoons of the general type illustratedis operated by means of a lever arm 612 located on the flap 51 of thewing joint 54). The

key is spring biased toward the open position and closed when the arm612 is depressed by the left thumb of the musician which actuates theseveral key lever arms arranged for this purpose on the flap 51.

It is also conventional to connect the linkages 65 of the whisper key orcrook key 64 with a normally open key 41 on the butt joint 40, normallyreferred to as the low E key. This interlocking operation of the whisperkey with the low E key 41 is necessary because of the particular tonequality of the open low E. To operate the whisper key independent of theE key, the usual bassoon relies only on the lever arm 612.

It is to be noted that the left thumb of the bassoon player is calledupon to operate a multiplicity of keys. In fast passage work, it isparticularly difficult, and frequently outright impossible to make useof the whisper key on the known bassoons. To overcome this difiiculty, Ihave modified the interconnecting linkage between the low E key 41 andthe whisper key.

The low E key 4-1 is conventionally supported on an axially elongatedconnecting rod rotatable in suitable posts. This rod transmits themovement of the E key to the whisper key. I longitudinally divide theconnecting rod into two portions. The lower end of the lower portion 42carries the stopper of the E key which is moved toward a correspondingtone hole in the butt joint by the right thumb of the musiciandepressing the cover of the stopper and moved away from the hole by areturn spring.

The upper end of the portion 42 is of reduced diameter and is journaledin the axial bore of the upper portion 43. Respective abutment flaps 44and 45 on the upper and lower rod portions are positioned for engagementwhen the E key 41 is depressed, but permit the upper rod portion 43 tobe rotated independently of the lower portion 42 when a lug 46 fixedlyattached to the upper portion 43 and constituting a lever arm isdepressed. The upper rod portion 43 is independently spring biasedtoward mutual abutment of the flaps 44 and 45. The upper rod portion 43actuates the Whisper key in the usual manner by means of basicallyconventional linkages 65 whether rotation of the upper portion 43 isinitiated by depressing the cover of the low E key or by depressing thelever arm 46. In both instances the musician will use his right thumb, afinger much more readily available for additional functions in theoperation of a bassoon than the left thumb.

The flap 51 of the wing joint 50 and the novel mechanical devices of myinvention mounted thereon are best seen in FIG. 3. The flap 51 and theadjoining portion of the wing joint visible in FIG. 3 are bored withfive tone holes partly obscured by the stoppers of corresponding keys.

In descending order, from the bocal end of the wing joint toward thebutt joint end, there is seen a high E key 53, an F sharp trill key 54,an F hole cover 55, an open D hole 56, and a C key 57. The keys andholes of the wing flap are operated by the second, third, and fourthfingers of the right hand as is usual.

The F sharp key 54 finds its equivalent on conventional bassoons whereit is pivotally mounted on the instrument body by means of posts whichrotatably support the connecting rod of the key to which the stopper andthe actuating lever arm are attached. I provide my bassoon with anadditional high E key 53 not found in other bassoons and selectivelylockable with the F sharp trill key 54-.

The keys 5'3 and 54- are mounted on the wing joint 50 by means of twoposts 58 and 58 in which two coaxial and axially contiguous connectingrods 59 and 510 are journaled. The connecting rod 59 is hollow and itsend adjacent the rod 516 is axially split. The rod 510 extends into theaxial cavity of the rod 59 and may be secured therein against rotationby a clamping screw 51]; engaging respective lugs on the split portionsof the tubular rod 59. Lever arms 512 and 513 have respective endsattached to the rods 59 and S10 and free ends approximately aligned inan axially extending row with the cover 55, the D hole 56, and thestopper of the C key 57.

The F sharp key and the high E key may be operated separately when thescrew 511 is released, or jointly, when the clamping screw is tightened.Whereas a rapid sequence of F and G in a trill or in a passage can beachieved in the usual bassoon only by complex fingering, the high E keyof my invention and its interlock with the conventional F sharp trillkey on the wing joint makes such a rapid sequence quite easy.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawingsthe high E hole covered by the high E key 53 is axially aligned with theF sharp trill key, and spaced therefrom 22 millimeters center to center.Both holes are bored radial and parallel. Both corresponding stoppersare spring biased toward the closed position.

The F hole on the wing flap of the usual Germany type bassoon isnormally open, and is stopped by placing a finger over it. Playing an Fsharp, G, or G sharp note requires the F hole to be partly covered bythe finger. The extent of the coverage is critical not only for thepitch of the sound produced, but even more for its quality. Since theflap of the wing joint is not within the field of vision of the player,control of half hole coverage is entirely by feel. Even for a highlyexperienced musician, such an arrangement is not satisfactory, and thepurity of the F sharp, G, and G sharp notes produced on (tihe half holefrequently leaves something to be desire I overcome the hazards of thepartial finger coverage of the F hole by covering the hole with a metalcover and a corresponding cork pad 514, better seen in FIG. 5, andhaving respective central holes 515 aligned with the F hole 516. Thecross sectional area of the passage formed by the hole 515 isapproximately one half of that of the F hole 516, but experience hasshown that minor variations from a 1:2 relationship are desirable indifferent instruments for reasons not fully understood, but probablyrelated to the acoustical peculiarities of the bassoon which give everyinstrument individual minor features not shared by any other bassoon.

The cover 55 is mounted on a rod 517 which is rotatable about alongitudinal axis and spring biased toward a position in which the cover55 is spaced from the orifice of the F hole 516 as shown in FIG. 5.Movement of the cover toward the orifice is actuated by placing a fingeron a tab 518 integral with and laterally projecting from the cover 55.When the cover 55 is pressed against the orifice of the F hole 516,perfectly reproducible F sharp, G, and G sharp notes of clear pitch andgood tone quality are obtained from the instrument.

As seen in FIG. 5, and further represented in a sectional view in FIG.4, the orifice of the F hole 516 is formed by an annular raised rim 519on the wing joint 50. The rim 519 is an axially terminal portion of atubular plastic insert 520 which projects outward and inward beyond thewall of the wing joint. The outwardly projecting rim 519-provides leakproof engagement with the cork pad 514 of the cover 55 because of thestress concentration in a narrow area which deforms the resilient corkuntil no air can bypass the hole 515.

, The inwardly projecting portion 521 of the insert 520, the axiallength of which is but a small fraction of its diameter, does notinfluence the tone or pitch of the instrument in a significant manner.It deflects the saliva flowing downward along the several portions ofthe bore of theinstrument, and prevents it from running outward throughthe F hole.

I prefer to install similar saliva tubes in all those holes of thebassoon which are notorious for their saliva discharge on the usualinstruments. These holes include the D, C, B, high G, low A, and C sharpholes, but may be provided elsewhere if so desired. Saliva tubes of thetype described are not limited in their utility to the bassoon, but arealso effective on other wind instruments, and particularly wood winds ofthe clarinet or oboe type.

The raised outer rim provided in a very simple manner by the saliva tubeof my invention is important in those holes of the bassoon in which theclosure obtained by a key is least secure because of the unfavorableleverage. In FIG. 6, I show the C sharp hole 522 near the lower end ofthe wing joint 50. The projecting rim sis of the saliva tube inserted inthe hole securely prevents air leakage past the pad 523 of the long key524 which is normally closed, without requiring the key to be equippedwith an unduly heavy spring which would make key operation difiicult.

Reverting now to FIG. 3, there is seen a key 57, the stopper of whichobscures the C hole 525. On the conventional bassoon of the German type,the C hole is asso ciated with a key equipped with a ring coaxial withthe hole but not instrumental in closing the same. When the hole iscovered by the fourth finger for which it is positioned, the ring issimultaneously depressed and actuates stoppers on other tone holes. Inthe normal playing position of the left hand, covering the C holerequires the fourth finger to be spread relatively far from the thirdfinger.

It is well known that for reasons of anatomy, the fourth finger of thehuman hand is least capable of independent movement, that is, ofmovement independent of the adjacent third and fifth fingers. When thefourth finger is spread from the third finger, it becomes even moredifficult to perform intricate movements with it. The spacing of the Dand C holes on the flap of the wing joint, which cannot be altered forobvious reasons, provides a serious handicap to bassoon players withshort fingers, and makes the playing of certain notes difiicult even fora musician having fingers of more than average length. This wide spacingof the C and D holes makes it impossible for most children underapproximately 14 years of age to study the bassoon, and the short supplyof bassoon players of 6 high caliber can probably be attributed to thefact that study of the usual instrument is not available to the veryyoung.

I replace the conventional ring on the C hole by a full stopper 526equipped with a lateral cover extension 527 projecting toward the D hole56. Although the extension 527 is not very wide, barely one half of thediameter of the stopper 526, it materially reduces the spreading of thefourth finger necessary for closing the C hole. Whereas proper closingof the hole by a finger requires the center of the terminal finger jointto be aligned with the axis of the hole, any portion of the fingertouching the rim of the extension 527 will securely close the C hole.

Even Very young children can be taught to play my improved bassoonwithout serious difficulties being caused by the shortness of theirfingers. While they may not yet be able to handle the instrument withthe fluency of the trained musician, there is nothing which wouldinherently prevent them from producing all the tones encompassed by theinstrument.

The butt joint 40 of the bassoon is adjacent the musicians clothing andit is not an entirely unusual experience to find a loose portion of acoat caught between the instrument body and one of the stoppers whichcooperate with holes in the back side of the bassoon. Any foreign bodywedged between a key and a tone hole in the instrument of course resultsin the production of uncontrolled sounds.

To avoid such accidents, I provide a guard 47 on the back side of thebutt or double joint 40. The guard, seen on an enlarged scale in FIG. 8,consists of several flat metal bars vaulting over the covers of the Fsharp key 48 and the B flat key 49 which are positioned approximatelycentrally between the top and bottom ends of the butt joint 40 in theusual manner.

The long joint 30 of my bassoon is approximately inch longer than thatof the conventional Heckel type bassoon. It is well known that the lowregister of the commonly used bassoons of this type is sharp, that is,the pitch of the low register is relatively higher than that of thehigher registers. This sharpness can be compensated for by properinteraction of the lips with the reed, but this method is difficult andnot entirely satisfactory. It makes a complex instrument even moreunreliable and difficult to master.

Lengthening the long joint by about A; inch over the normal lengthovercomes this difiiculty, but it requires the holes on other joints tobe displaced approximately /8 inch in a direction toward the bell, aswill be readily appreciated.

The long joint has five tone holes, all operated by means of keys. Thestoppers of these keys which obscure the holes are visible in FIGS. 1and 2. They are in axial sequence from the bell joint 20 toward the buttjoint 40; as follows: The low B natural key 31, the low C sharp key 32,the low C key 33, the E flat key 34, and the loW D key 35.

Details of the long joint are shown in FIGS. 10, 11, 11a and 12. Thelong joint illustrated has several novel features which permit thebassoon to be operated in a particularly secure and convenient manner.

The C sharp, or D flat, key 32 is conventionally operated by the leftfifth finger which depresses an arm 36 of a lever, the other arm 36' ofwhich acts upon an arm projecting from the connecting rod 37 to whichthe stopper of the C sharp or D flat key is fastened. The fifth fingeralso has to operate the E flat key 34 by means of a lever arm 38adjacent the arm 36. It is obviously very difficult to play a fastsequence of D flat and E fiat tones with the conventional arrangement. AD flat-E fiat trill of properly spaced and clearly defined notes isalmost impossible to produce.

This difficulty is overcome in the bassoon of my invention by theprovision of an arm 39 on the connecting rod 37 which extends from thelatter rod in a direction tosnaaaea ward the flap of the wing joint itand toward the keys which are grouped on the long joint for operation bythe left thumb, thus permitting the two notes of a D flatE flat trill tobe produced by two different fingers.

In the playing of the low E on the conventional German type bassoon, thelow B natural key 31, the C key 33, and the D key 35 as shown in FIG. 2,are normally open. An E tone produced in this manner has a very bright,open sound. A duller, darker, more mellow E sound is desirable in solopassages for the bassoon in symphonic music. Attempts to produce such asofter sound by means of mutes have not been fully successful. I havebeen able to modify the bright open E sound by providing an abutmentwhich permits the B, C, and D keys mentioned above to be partiallyclosed by the left thumb normally idle in playing the open E note, and Ican thereby modify the sound of the open E to achieve a more pleasanttone.

The B, C, and D keys are normally open and interlocked conventionally insuch a manner that the D key 35 may be operated individually or jointlywith the C key 33. However, both the C key and the D key are closed whenthe actuating lever 31d of the B key is depressed. By providing theabutment on the actuating lever 3ft), I can thus hold all three keys inany desired partly open position when the lever 3th is depressed.

The abutment device is seen to some extent in FIG. 11, and in greaterdetail in FIGS. lla and 12 which show that portion of the lever 31h onwhich the abutment device is mounted. The latter consists of a stopmember 311 supported on a leaf spring 312 which is pivotally fastened tothe lever 310 by a screw 313. Pivotal movement of the spring 312 aboutthe axis of the screw 313 thus causes the stop member 311 to move towardand away from the surface of the long joint 30. The lever 312 has twosuperimposed transverse holes 314 adjacent the stop member 311, and apin 315 on the latter may be alternatingly engaged with either hole. Theholes are differently spaced from the main body of the instrument. Whenthe pin 315 is engaged in one of the holes, the underside of the stopmember 311 is approximately flush with that of the lever 31%, and thestop member is inoperative. When the pin 315 engages the other hole, thestop member projects downward from the lever and prevents the stoppers0f the B, C, and D keys from approaching the corresponding tone holesmore closely than approximately to inch, and the desired mellow E soundcan be produced.

The C key on the long joint is conventionally operated by depressing atab 316 on the one armed lever at the end of which the stopper of thekey is mounted. This tab interlocks with the end of the lever 318 whichactuates the D key 35 in such a manner that the D key may be operatedindependently, but will follow movement of the C key. The lever arm ofthe latter passes under the lever 310 of the B key so that depressingthe latter will actuate all three keys simultaneously as describedabove.

Use of the C key is frequently required, and the conventional tab 316 isrelatively difficult of access to the left thumb by means of which it isto be operated. I therefore provide a second tab 317 for the C key leverwhich projects from the rod of the key toward the flap 51 of the wingjoint and may be depressed by the left thumb while the latter alsoactuates one of the several keys on the flap 51. This additional tabalso greatly improves the speed with which the left thumb may be shiftedto and from the C key, and thus the overall fluency of the performance.

It should be understood of course that the several novel features of thebassoon illustrated for the purposes of the disclosure may also beemployed separately, and in conan junction with other improvements onother wood-wind instruments, or on wind instruments generally. Theyjointly facilitate fingering and cross fingering, necessary on thebassoon more than on other woodwind instruments, and reduce reliance onthe reed for modifying the pitch and sound quality of the instrument.The substitution of mechanical devices the action of which is exactlyreproducible and predictable for the reed, uncertain in its operationeven for the most expert player, increases the utility of the bassoon asan orchestra instrument. The improvements brought about by thisinvention also facilitate the teaching of bassoon playing, and may beexpected to bring about a general rise in the level of performance onthis instrument.

While a preferred embodiment of my invention has been disclosed andillustrated, various modifications as to form, arrangement of parts anduse of materials may be made without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a bassoon, in combination, a bocal; a wing joint; a butt joint; along joint; and a bell joint, said bocal and said joints being formedwith elongated bores and connectable in the above order in such a mannerthat the bores thereof form a continuous elongated conduit tapering fromsaid bell joint toward said bocal, said bocal while connected with saidwing joint being movable in the direction of elongation of the bore ofsaid wing joint, said bocal being formed with a pinhole; a whisper key,including connecting rod means movably mounted on said wing joint,extension rod means movable for adjustment on said connecting rod meansin the direction of elongation of the bore of said wing joint, means forfixedly fastening said extension rod means to said connecting rod meansin the adjusted position, and stopper means mounted on said extensionrod means for movement forward and away from said pin hole when saidbocal is connected with said wing joint and said connecting rod meansmoves on the latter.

2. In a bassoon as set forth in claim 1, cylindrical sealing means onsaid bocal and on said wing joint, said sealing means beingsubstantially coaxial with the respective bores and axially engageablefor connecting said bocal and said wing joint.

3. In a bassoon as set forth in claim 1, said rod means constitutingelements of a motion transmitting linkage for actuating movement of saidstopper means, an element of said linkage being mounted on said stoppermeans, another element of said linkage being mounted on said butt joint;and first and second actuating arm means on said wing joint and on saidbutt joint respectively for manual actuation of said stopper meansmovement when said wing and butt joints are connected.

4. In a basson as set forth in claim 3, an E key movable on said buttjoint, coupling means coupling said E key to a portion of said motiontransmitting linkage for actuating movement of said whisper key stoppermeans when said E key is moved, said second actuating arm means beingmounted on said portion for actuating said whisper key independently ofsaid E key.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,616,662 Loomis Feb. 8, 1927 1,669,745 Evette May 15, 1928 2,083,048Bryant June 8, 1937 2,182,198 Christensen -a Dec. 5, 1939 2,183,423Christensen Dec. 12, 1939 2,226,536 Selmar Dec. 31, 1940 2,425,795Gillespie Aug. 19, 1947

1. IN A BASSOON, IN COMBINATION, A BOCAL; A WING JOINT; A BUTT JOINT; ALONG JOINT; AND A BELL JOINT, SAID BOCAL AND SAID JOINTS BEING FORMEDWITH ELONGATED BORES AND CONNECTABLE IN THE ABOVE ORDER IN SUCH A MANNERTHAT THE BORES THEREOF FORM A CONTINUOUS ELONGATED CONDUIT TAPERING FROMSAID BELL JOINT TOWARD SAID BOCAL, SAID BOCAL WHILE CONNECTED WITH SAIDWING JOINT BEING MOVABLE IN THE DIRECTION OF ELONGATION OF THE BORE OFSAID WING JOINT, SAID BOCAL BEING FORMED WITH A PINHOLE; A WHISPER KEY,INCLUDING CONNECTING ROD MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID WING JOINT,EXTENSION ROD MEANS MOVABLE FOR ADJUSTMENT ON SAID CONNECTING ROD MEANSIN THE DIRECTION OF ELONGATION OF THE BORE OF SAID WING JOINT, MEANS FORFIXEDLY FASTENING SAID EXTENSION ROD MEANS TO SAID CONNECTING ROD MEANSIN THE ADJUSTED POSITION, AND STOPPER MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID EXTENSIONROD MEANS FOR MOVEMENT FORWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID PIN HOLE WHEN SAIDBOCAL IS CONNECTED WITH SAID WING JOINT AND SAID CONNECTING ROD MEANSMOVES ON THE LATTER.